


The Snake in the Mountains, The Girl from the Village

by AKA_Indulgence



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Lamiatale, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Female Reader, I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes, I'm not sure how to tag lamia/naga sans, Just some hints of it dont worry about it...., Possessive Sans (Undertale), Sans is a monster that eats humans, based on multiple myths, but... different than something like in TDtLU, does this count as lamiatale...?, how does it work help, i don't know how to tag but i keep putting too much here i'm sorry, if so, kind of. Check the notes, lamia!sans, maybe...?, naga!sans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:40:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23855497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKA_Indulgence/pseuds/AKA_Indulgence
Summary: Your mother is sick. And you must find a rare, precious herb to save her.Guarding it, a great snake.You've heard of him from the other villagers, some with stories, others even having met the snake. You know he's always going to ask you to bargain something important to you in exchange for the cure-all.... You didn't expect what you saw when you met him. Even less so, what he asked of you.
Relationships: Naga!Sans/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 147
Kudos: 590





	1. The Snake in the Mountains

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! :)  
> This fic is inspired by those myths where a girl needs to get to a Thing they really need, guarded by a snake, and the snake asks her to marry him... and I thought of naga/lamia Sans and... here we are.  
> I wasn't going to post this fic on Ao3 originally (this was only on my tumblr -u-) because it was a small idea and I'm not heavily focusing on it- just gonna be little scenes and such in a relatively linear fashion... kinda like how some myths are like really, chunks of stories here and there. But oops, I had a second part, so here it is on Ao3 ouo;  
> I've always wanted to write a naga/lamia Sans ever since I first heard of the concept but just haven't gotten around to actually do something with it... Until now, of course.  
> I've got two parts up on tumblr already, so they're going to be up here ^^  
> Similar to Compilation of Little Fluffs, I'll still be posting on tumblr then updating it here.
> 
> ... I've talked enough, you don't wanna read that paragraph probs- I just hope you'll enjoy one snake-boy ;)

Your mother is sick.

She has been for weeks. And you’ve been getting desperate.

You’ve been going from door to door, from your neighbor and then to the village healers. Some of them had herbs and medicine that you’ve tried giving to your mother, but still your mother’s health regresses.

It’s not until you finally go to an elder healer in your village do you find out that there was no way they could heal your mother.

“All that I can do,” the elderly woman tells you, her voice marred with age, “Is to ease her pain. But your mother’s health will only get worse and worse. She is dying.”

It was horrible news. You begged to her if she knew anything, _anything_ that could help your mother, that there was some way you could save her. She’s all you have left of your family. You have no siblings, and your father passed away when you were very young.

Your beautiful, kind mother, strands of silver in her hair. She can barely move from her bed of rags, and most often, she looks like she’s asleep, both hands on her chest. Sometimes you watch her to see if her chest is still rising and falling. You don’t want your mum to go yet.

The wise woman ponders for a moment, going through her history of healing and curing, something she has been doing since her younger years. She had the most knowledge on how to help the sick. Her expression changes after awhile, like she had realized something, but when she turns to you, her expression is grave.

“There is one thing that can help your mother.” She starts, but she interrupts you before you can thank her. “But you can only find it in one place, high up in a mountain northeast from here. The journey there will not be easy, and… It is guarded by a terrible, man-eating snake.

She tells you that there is a tree up in the mountains northeast from your village. It’s bark is ordinary wood, yet the leaves were all a color gold. If you take three of those leaves and bring them back to her, she’ll ground it up for your mother to drink alongside with medicine that lessens her ailments. Your mother would be cured. But again- a giant snake guards the tree, hidden in a cavern in the mountains. The older people of your village knows about this, a couple of them having sought after the golden leaves. They tell you that the snake won’t give it to you without taking something in return- and usually, it’s something that they wouldn’t want to part with.

One told you of a man named Dayne. He had tried to trick the snake before, to take the golden leaves without fulfilling his end of the deal. You’re not sure what the snake asked him that drove him to disobey the customs even their villages have, perhaps he was especially desperate. Whatever the reason, after he brought a single leaf to the village (apparently too scared to take much longer in the snake’s cave), he disappeared. While no one knows exactly how he disappeared, many could guess he was eaten by the great snake.

An old woman named Eria told you that her husband had to give up having more children when their son was as sick as your mother. Though she is glad to still have her son to this day, her husband had grieved, having dreamt of having a big family. He passed away before you were even a baby.

Despite their warnings and stories, you didn’t need to think much of your decision of going up the mountain. You’ve been forced to watch your mother’s health deteriorate over the past weeks, and you can’t wait any longer.

There was no use just waiting around in the village if they couldn’t help you any further.

So now you find yourself about an hour in, hiking one of the mountains northwest of your village where they told you the tree would be, in simple garbs, a tunic tucked under your skirt flapping in the wind along with your cape. They were your only defense against the wind that whipped through the mountain crags. Your legs, though protected by breeches you wore under the skirt, still falters whenever a gust of wind would blow in.

It had been cold below, but now it was getting chillier. Though thanks to the clear sky and the sun shining down on you, the winter months far in the past, you could tolerate the gales better.

You were tired, you were hungry, and you were cold. You held onto your cape with your right hand while your left hand closed around your skirt, keeping it from flying around in the wind, trying to protect your legs. Your skirt was around knee length, and you wish you could use your longer skirts, but that would hinder your movements.

After more time of you stepping on uneven ground, occasionally having to cross a precarious rock jutting out from the mountain, where it seemed to have been cut off and form a sort of cliff, you finally found a cavernous opening ahead of you. It dug into the mountain. You were close to the peak, maybe reaching the top in a quarter of an hour. The winds had died down for the moment, and you took a moment to rest, your hand on the stony wall, gathering yourself.

The mountain wasn’t too terribly steep, but after awhile of climbing, you’re bound to lose energy. Your legs were aching, your feet having to bend a lot as you step on the uneven path. You could tell that the air was thinning up here, but other than making you breathe heavier, you were still fine.

After a moment of just breathing and letting your heart calm down, you finally pick up your head. Hands holding your cape around you like a blanket, you peer into the cave. The opening was quite big, the ceiling of which about three time as tall as you, with it’s width about 5 times the length of you if you laid on your side. You didn’t have to wonder if this was the right cave or not- it was the only one you’ve come across, and in the distance, through an irregular hallway made of rocks…

You could see a tree, the warm light of the sun shining down upon it, no doubt coming from a parting in the cavern cavity it was in. It’s bark made of wood… While its leaves are golden, glittering in the sunlight. The trunk thick and twisted, starting to bend from the bottom, growing to the side, before it broke off into multiple branches, all twisting and turning in different directions before it exploded into the golden leaves. Grass was growing along the base where the sun hit the ground, and you find there’s a fair bit of soil in where the tree grew from.

It was a welcoming sight to you, finally able reached what you were looking for after hours of trekking from your village to the top of this mountain.

… But you have to wonder…

Where is the snake that the people of the village have been talking about? They’ve said that he’s great and big and can swallow you whole…

You couldn’t see the snake. The path to the golden leaves seem to be clear. Perhaps the snake isn’t inside. Snakes have to eat, and surely they don’t just eat the leaves of trees? Perhaps the snake is hunting, and has left the cave unguarded. Apart from the tree standing regally under the sun, the cave certainly seems deserted.

For a moment, you think about just entering, come to the tree and take just a couple of leaves, and sneak away before the snake returns. There were hundreds of leaves on the tree, thousands, even- surely taking one or three leaves wouldn’t make much of a difference, the snake probably won’t notice!

… But…

You stayed outside the cave mouth, making no move closer. That would be a terrible idea. The villagers have already warned you about the snake enough. Trying to trick, steal, or outsmart the snake would bring ill omen. Maybe, if you didn’t end up eaten, you might get cursed by the snake. Maybe it weren’t from the tales of the snake from this mountain, but you have heard from travelers that come to your village that monsters can curse humans that they feel have wronged them. Without much explanation from him, you know that wouldn’t be good for anyone. Even the village healers have wondered if your mother was actually cursed.

And even if you weren’t eaten or cursed… There were rules that your village has abided to, and have kept themselves from harm.

To keep your civility. Not to intrude or disturb other people’s properties, and this included monsters. You were not to enter someone’s home uninvited, lest you be accosted by the host. And the host of this cave is a monster. It would certainly count as intrusion and _stealing_ if you were to run to the tree and take a few leaves.

So you waited for awhile. If the snake _has_ been hunting, perhaps it will return later, and you can ask it for its golden leaves. You’re not sure what the snake will ask of you for the golden leaves, but you don’t think much of it. It’s for your mum, and you think you are ready for whatever the snake could offer you.

You turn your head up in the cave when you hear a noise from inside, something that wasn’t the occasional rustle of leaves. It shifted against the rocky walls of the cave, and you see something move along the mouth of the cave… Then you spot _eyes._ White, with a tinge of blue around the rim, staring right into you.

_That must be the snake._

You freeze in place when your eyes meet, and you shiver in horror when you see a mouth appear under the eyes, stretching out in a grin wide and menacing in the darkness of the cave. The snake comes out into the light, and…

… You didn’t expect to see what you saw when that happened.

He was long and thick. You didn’t see the whole length of his body when he emerged, scales a royal blue and shimmering under the rays of sun. The color of his scales would shift from blue toemerald whenever he moved under the light or when you moved your head.

But what has surprised you, was what emerged from what you’d thought a snake head should be.

There was a _skeleton._ The upper body of a skeleton, to be exact, from the hips up. You could see his spine, his ribs, his hands, his skull. And they aren’t like normal human bones- they were thick, just as thick as a well-muscled man’s arms, flesh and all. The snake-skeleton towered over you, grinning down at you and looking at you with a look that you couldn’t comprehend. Inside his sockets there were two lights, those white-blue ‘eyes’ you saw from before, seeming to act as his (is he a he..?) eyes. You’re not sure what those eyes are trying to convey to you, but you can tell he seems somewhat interested in you.

“what a clever little human.” The snake-skeleton spoke, his voice soft yet rich and deep, sounding a bit amused with you. “such a patient little thing, you are.”

“H-hello.” you greeted the creature as politely as you could, remembering your manners, hoping you wouldn’t offend the monster. “M… My name’s (Y/n). It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“polite too.” He noted, smiling more at you as his sockets become half-lidded. You wonder how bone does that, but then again you’re looking at a skeleton with the body of a snake. “i have been waiting for you, (y/n).”

“Waiting for me?” You ask, feeling a bit cold, and not from the wind that was currently sweeping behind you.

“oh yes.” The snake/skeleton says calmly, “i know when i will have visitors. my name is sans, sans the skeleton.” The snake finally introduces himself, “but just sans is good too.”

You nod to him, thankful that you didn’t enter his cave earlier, now that you know that the snake’s been inside, silently watching you from the beginning. You’d probably end up as his next meal if you had. You wonder how long he’s been watching you, but try not to think about it too hard… You’re already quite nervous.

Sans invites you inside his cave, and you finally move to enter, now that you know you’re on his terms.

“it’s been awhile since i’ve had my last visitor.” Sans says, sighing a bit as he leads you inside. You can hear the sound of his scales slithering on the cave floor, and the hissing sound he makes sends an instinctual shiver up you. You hope he’d only take it as you being cold. “it’s also been awhile since i’ve had human…” He says off-handedly, and your body tenses when you see his mouth opens, and you see that… He has sharp fangs, hidden when his teeth were shut. You’re shocked when you see a blue ethereal tongue licks his left fang before it returns into his mouth. Now that you know he has _those_ , it makes your footsteps tense. Even more, you notice how closer you’ve gotten to him as you walk further inside the cave. You felt like the tree wasn’t that far away when you were watching it from outside, but now that you're walking with the naga, it feels like it’s much further…

You abruptly come to a halt when Sans slithers in front of you, essentially blocking your path to the tree. Other than when he seemed to be thinking of having you for lunch, His smile hasn’t moved at all since you first spotted him earlier. You wonder how he’s speaking while his mouth doesn’t move. He gives you a curious look, and for a moment Sans looks more like a kind stranger rather than a man-eating monster.

“so tell me, (y/n)… where do you hail from?” He asks you.

“Uh…” You mumble, nervously fiddling with your fingers. “I come from a village below the mountains. N… Not directly at the foot of it, say… A bit ways to the…”

“southwest?” Sans finishes your sentence, “ah… i know that village. you live in a good place, most people who live there are good.” He sighs, his eye(lights?) wandering up to the cave’s ceiling as he seems to reminisces.

You wonder if you should ask him about Dayne, but you think it’s better not to ask, lest you awaken something malicious in the monster.

Sans seems to notice your slight shiver as you rub your hands together. With you being nervous and tense around the monster before you, you can feel you blood rushing from your fingers.

“you poor thing.” Sans says sympathetically, starting to circle around you, a sort of worried look on his face, though his grin stays intact. Now that he’s doing that, the more you can properly see his snake body, from his waist to his tail… He must’ve been 10 times your height! And his snake body was thick, thicker than you, slowly tapering off into a pointed tail, moving in the air almost playfully as Sans continued to circle around.

… You note how it looks like he’s coiling around you, even if he is doing it from a distance.

“it must’ve been hard work getting up here.” He comments, and for once you see his grin change, its edges lowering just a little, “you’re so small… maybe even the smallest human i’ve met.you must be prone to the cold.”

“I…” You mumble, as you warily keep away from the skeleton part of the naga, careful not to bump yourself onto his smooth, scaly body, starting to feel a little trapped when Sans circles you again, and you see your ‘opening’ close off.

… Is it just you, or does he seem to be tightening his coils?

“I wear these,” you gesture towards your clothing, “To help me keep warm, but it… Hasn’t been easy, getting up here.” you admitted, seeing Sans’ eyelights flick to you, all of his attention on you. The sound of scales brushing against scales fill the air, making a quiet hissing sound, and you feel a lump form in your throat. “B-but…” you can’t help but stutter. Either it’s from the cold or nervousness, you're not sure. Probably both. “I needed to come here.”

“I need… I need a few of your golden leaves, sir Sans. My mum… Mother has been sick for weeks, and I need them to bring her back to health.”

Sans’ slithering stops, along with the hiss of his scales. His skull turns to you, and tilts to the side. “is that so?” There is a glint in his eyelights. Again, you’re not sure what it means, but you guess that he must be thinking of what he wants from you.

“… you are a good daughter, coming all the way here for her sake.” The snake notes, as he starts to move again, seeming to think about your request. “you may have a couple of leaves and bring it to your mother.”

Your eyes light up, hope burning in your chest, happy that you’re going to be able to save your mum. You have started to worry if the monster would reject your request and decided that you would be better off feeding him. But of course, as you see the naga come closer, closing the distance between you and him, he grins again, a look that tells you thatyou wouldn’t be able to just take the leaves from him without hindrance.

“but… if you come from the village southwest from here, then you must know that you cannot just take the leaves and… _leaf…_ ”

You don’t notice the snake’s pun, even as his sockets crinkle. You’re too focused in the blue tinge around his sharp whites, in what he’s implying.

“… Yes.” you tell him. “… What is it that you want… Oh great snake?” You add, wondering if giving him grand titles would at least amuse him a bit so that he wouldn’t ask you something that will be hard to give.

“oh! hahahah, what a cute little human you are.” He laughs, and his coil narrows again around you, probably so you wouldn’t back out now. Your legs press to one another as you hold your hands together, trying your best not to show fear in front of him and keeping your back straight, though your heart was pounding frantically from within your chest. “… i know what i want from you.” He finally says, still drawing nearer to you as he looks off to the leaves as he seems to finalize his thoughts.

“my dear (y/n).” He suddenly says affectionately, and you study his face, his sockets closing as he pauses, your mind racing in what the naga must be thinking right now. He turns to you, coming from behind you on your side, and he gets so close that his bones almost touch you, and you can feel his breath when he speaks again, brushing against your neck. “ _promise to marry me_ … and i will grant you enough golden leaves you need for your mother.”

…

…. W… _What?_

“M… Marry you?” You ask, turning to him, your eyes filled with bewilderment as Sans’ grin stays in place. You think he must be joking, almost laughing in disbelief yourself, but he doesn’t laugh at you, nor does he say anything else. He just smiles at you, while you see in his eyelights now, there seem to be an air of… Fondness coming from them.

He’s serious.

You’re shocked. You had been anticipating what the snake would offer you from the moment you stepped out of the village and headed to the mountains. You had thought maybe he’d want a precious possession belonging to you, an heirloom from your family, a memory of your father… You even thought if he’d ask you to come at a later date to offer yourself as a meal for him, when you couldn’t stop remembering the warnings of the villagers that he won’t hesitate to eat a human.

You weren’t expecting him to ask you to be his bride.

Your mind raced. Were you really going to agree to _marry_ him? Not only have you just met him- but he’s also a man-eating snake!

Your shock and your reconsideration only last for a moment, though. As soon as you remember your mother back home, bound to the bed, unable to move and on death’s row, you didn’t need to think further. You’ve went this far, and you can’t bare the thought of losing your mother when the cure for her was within reach. You know you would feel guilty if you turned back now, and you would lose your mom.

So your answer was near instantaneous.

“Yes.” you answer him, with a confidence that hadn’t been there when you talked with Sans before. “I promise to marry you in exchange for the leaves.”

Sans’s smile broadens, clearly pleased with your answer. Only then does he pull back from you, his snake body slithering away from around you, and he presents to you the golden-leaved tree. You don’t think about what you’d just agreed to, and instead hurry up to the tree, climbing the bark a bit to take three leaves, putting it in the pouch you carried with you for this purpose. You wondered if you should get just one more, just in case… But Sans had told you he would give you enough leaves to heal your mother. _You can never be too careful around monsters,_ You think to yourself. You climb back down the tree, Sans’ body uncoiled and its length lining up along the walls in this chamber of cave where the tree stood, watching your every move, still looking as pleased as he was when you agreed to his deal.

You walk towards the opening in the cave wall, close to where Sans stood. You almost leave him without speaking again, but you remember your courtesy, to leave him with a farewell.

“Thank you, Sans.” You say. Human or monster, you had to remember your civility, especially if it came from a monster that seems to like politeness, “Now I will be able to help my mother.”

He gives you a smile that seems kind, yet makes your stomach twist. “it’s no trouble, _my bride_.” He says with an emphasis on ‘bride’, and the deal you just made with him starts to sink into you. Suddenly, he slithers right up to you, twisting around you a bit, so close that his face almost touches yours. “return to me in no longer than a week.” He tells you, as your eyes are caught by his dominating gaze. You can’t look away. “i will be waiting for you.” He says, his voice dropping to almost a murmur, leaning close to your ear.

Your chest tightens as you withhold your reaction to squeal, and instead just gulp and nod at him. You fear if you spoke to him, your voice might crack. As close as Sans had gotten to you, not once has he touched you, and as soon as you nod at him, he moves away from you again, the cave once more filled with the sound of hissing. You give him one last look before you leave him and exit the cave.

As you start trekking back down the mountain, there is little to distract you apart from the winds that occasionally whip through your measly clothes. Your mind is filled with the thoughts of the snake, Sans, and what he asked of you.

Your hand cups the pouch you have tied to your waist, feeling the leaves rustling inside. You decide to think of your mother, but a thought keeps intruding as the image of Sans appears once again in your mind.

_Your future husband._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, you just became a naga/lamia's bride
> 
> ... Ok so I said I'm not trying to focus on this one but... This is fun -u-
> 
> Also is my "mythical writing" ok? I was going for that style and idk if I succeeded or not at all...
> 
> I promise to TRY to clean up those tags in the future ^^;;
> 
> My [tumblr](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/), where it all started


	2. The Girl from the Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't the first time Sans had met you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2, as promised ^^

Sans kept watching you until he couldn’t see you again, walking down the mountain. His eyesockets lidded, and his disconcerting grin turned somewhat dreamy before he retreated back into his domain, happy with the exchange he’s made with you.

It’s been so long ago, but he still remembers it as if it were yesterday, when he first laid his eyes upon you.

The day was late, and Sans had just woken up from his daytime slumber. When he flicked his tongue out, there was a different scent in the cave- but it was a familiar scent. He had roused from his sleep, alert as soon as he smelled it, and he only needs to take one look at the tree to know: it is missing one leaf.

Someone had come and stolen a golden leaf while he was asleep. And when Sans flicked his forked tongue again into the air, he knows who it is. A man that had come from a village not too terribly far from his mountain. The man had come some nights before, asking Sans for a golden leaf. But when Sans had offered him a leaf in exchange for all of his treasures, he had declined. He didn’t tell Sans what he needed a leaf for, and Sans could sense he was quite the greedy young man. It wasn’t often that someone declined to bargain with him- people who were desperate enough to search for the golden leaves were, well- _desperate._ Sans’ reputation was enough that most people expected him to ask of them something they would not want to part with. And that man had turned back after coming so far. He didn’t want to part with his earthly possessions.

“very well.” Sans had told him. Though he is a monster, a terrifying one to humans, he considered himself fair. Sans told the man to leave, because the longer he stays, the longer he’s just going to tempt Sans’ appetite. Sans hadn’t eaten in well over a month, and if he had no other business with him, Sans might consider eating him. The man had nodded (rather fearfully Sans recalls) and turned back, and Sans thought that was the last of him.

Until of course, he could smell his traces. Sans need only to smell the air, and Sans could follow the scent trail to the man. It was one of the reasons he became such an effective guardian of the golden leaves, among other reasons.

Sans had followed the trail, and he didn’t need to travel too long, which was a good thing, for Sans wasn’t a monster big on traveling. Halfway down the mountain, already he spotted the cowardly human, rushing down the mountain as fast as he can, jumping over ledges to make a quicker descent- a single golden leaf in his hand, with veins like a leafless pine tree.

_precarious_. Sans had thought. Carrying the leaf like that is dangerous… Especially with all the clumsy movements the man was making. It could get damaged, and its magical properties would seep away quickly. It would still be golden, but it wouldn’t do anything.

Though it didn’t take Sans too long to find the man, Sans waited- stalked his prey. He didn’t need to make such a hasty kill… And though he is a monster that hunts for his meal, Sans liked to make his kills in a timely fashion, especially to those that try to take the golden leaves unfairly. It was always needed for a guardian to teach lessons to others of the consequences from stealing and trickery. Myths didn’t travel on their own. So Sans bided his time, silently following the man home.

The man had boasted what he’s done once he got to the village. It was dusk by then, and people were starting to go home. He proudly showed off the leaf like a golden flag, his hand raised in the air, how it is possible to get a treasured possession such as the leaf without needing to bargain with its guardian. He says that you just need to be smart about it, and that you could take something like the golden leaf.

Despite his gloating and the expectant look in his eyes as he told the others to not be afraid of myths, to try to swindle their way to treasures and precious resources. Those guarded not only by Sans, but other guardian monsters that were scattered throughout the land. He had expected for his speech to inspire others to do what he has- but in the end, he only succeeded in frightening people away, and an old man had yelled at him, scolding.

“You fool!” the old man had yelled. “You are asking us to take harm upon ourselves! You take that leaf from the great snake of the mountain, and you will only bring your end!”

“Simmer down, old man.” The arrogant man had said, believing that he could just turn over something that has been engraved into their culture for generations- to respect stories of monsters. “I am already back in the village. We are far away from the mountains, let alone that cave that serpent resides in. We are safe in this village, it cannot come down here.”

“You… So young, naive, and ignorant. If you do not learn, you will only hurt everyone else in this village!”

And true, did the old man speak, and everyone else from the village knew it too. It was wise to follow the words of travelers and the elderly. Of their knowledge on monsters and the stories they tell, to know what not to do. Because they are true, and they speak from experience. Evidence by Sans, there, hidden in the fields of grass, that the ignorant man will meet his fate he sealed upon himself when he took that leaf.

On that very same day the man had showed off and be so arrogant, he died. The other villagers had denied him from coming near them, afraid of what he might bring- harm and curse. Sans had thought them wise, even if it seemed pitiless- not all monsters and guardians were as fair as he. Sans would only repay the ones who had done the deed, he wouldn’t hurt the innocent.

A cowardly man. Never really able to mix with the villagers even before then. Sans had followed him hidden in the shadows cast by the orange sun. Sans could’ve entered his house, killed him in his sleep in the dead of night. But no… Sans needed him awake. Awake and aware, so he will know that his death was caused by his ignorance and arrogance. He kept the leaf on a table beside his bed, when night fell. He tried to turn on his candle… But with a little blow through the window from Sans, it’d snuff out. The man was frightened by the sudden darkness, shrieking when the small flame went out seemingly on its own.

Feeble man. He went out of his house. He had trouble with his own flint. It was dark outside, no one around. Everyone was afraid that he'd unleashed a monster on their village for stealing the leaf, staying in their homes, not daring to come out. Only then had he started becoming afraid. He started to have a feeling that someone was following him.

It was then that Sans struck, from behind. Brought his arms around the human’s measly body, around his neck, a hand clamping down on his mouth before he had the chance to wake up the entire village with his yelp. It was near midnight, on a moonless night.

_“thieves must be wise to know what to take and what to leave be.”_

Sans had bit him in the throat, his fangs pumping magic venom into him. He died quickly after, but not before struggling against the toxin that seeped through his body. When he went limp, Sans made quick work of him- swallowed him whole. Erased all evidence of the man. One night and he was just- _gone_.

Sans had a full stomach then. He knew would have another month before he needed to eat again.

Accomplishing what he came there for, Sans could retreat back to the mountains. No one else needed to know he was ever here.

But as he slithered through the village, passing the water well… A door had opened somewhere. A torch in hand, walking out of the house.

Sans’ eyelights shrunk into slits, he can’t risk being seen- he might throw this peaceful village into panic. On the well, a roof. Sans hastily climbed up it, his massive body having to loop onto himself tightly, dangerously close to spilling over the sides and falling down or worse- having it collapse under his weight.

He kept his breath very still, as he saw the human who, for some reason, had exited their house at midnight.

… You were a pretty little woman. In a dress clearly made for sleeping, you had crept out of your home with a torch, holding a bucket with your other hand. Sans could only watch (in slight dismay) as you walked towards the well, tied up the bucket to the rope, and started lowering it.

You were collecting water in the middle of the night, to Sans’ great ‘luck’. He couldn’t slip away, and he wondered why he had chosen such a dangerous hiding spot.

It was very quiet that night, with Sans as silent as if he were dead, and the air only filled with the squeaks and creaks of the turning of the handle from the well as you lowered it.

You were focused on the well. And Sans, having nothing else to do other than hoping you wouldn’t see him, took a little peek of you, leaning over to the side.

You were small, your hands looking dainty as they turned the handle, a splash heard from the depths of the well as the bucket reached the water. Sans couldn’t see your face, curious as to why you had come out so late at night. You were alone, was just you and him.

And you had no idea you were so close to a dangerous, giant snake, just coiled onto himself above you.

He could’ve killed you. Could’ve had another meal.

But even if Sans _wanted_ to take another meal… He was too fascinated by you. He was curious. You looked small and refined to him, despite the humble village you lived in, your hair tied to the back, glowing from the embers of the torch.

Eventually you got the bucket out of the water, and as you untied the rope, Sans got to see your face, exhaling quietly as you checked the water in the bucket.

Then, there was one terrifying moment when you tilted your head upwards, and Sans’ sockets widened in panic-

“… Hey, you there, girl!” Sans had flinched along with you- pulling himself back and trying his best to keep all of his body on top of the well, to look as small as he could, stressing when he heard it creak in the slightest under his weight- his tail kept slipping off the side of the roof.

Another human was out that night, and was walking up to you with a torch of his own. For one frightful moment, Sans’ scales had caught some of the light, but neither humans noticed his presence.

“What are you doing out here at night?” The man asked you, muscular with a fierce look behind his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry sir.” Your voice, soft, slightly frightened. “I had to take water…”

“In the middle of the night?” With an axe by his side, Sans knew this man was on guard duty. “Don’t you know about Dayne? The man’s brought back a monster’s possession- stolen it! We are all in danger unless that thing is returned, or that Dayne has gotten what he’s worth. You don’t want to get cursed or harmed tonight, girl. Go back home!”

The man had only wanted your safety, Sans knew. But you looked even more frightened as you apologized, rushing home. _poor girl._ The man too moved away, and finally Sans was surrounded by darkness again, finally able to relax the muscles of his serpentine body, spilling out from the roof and slithering off of it.

As he got to the ground, out of habit, he flicked his tongue out, and he smelled _you._

_Primrose… Lily. Sweet scents._

_Soft, delicate._

But Sans had to go before the man returned, and so he left, heading back to the mountains.

… For some reason… Sans had kept thinking about you after that. It wasn’t much at first. Maybe it’s because there’s not much to do in his home when no one comes to visit. Visitors are few and far in between. And as Sans doesn’t need to come out to hunt often, he kept finding his thoughts wandering around the human he saw when he was in the village that night.

And when the summer months came, he found that _he_ started wandering away from the mountains as he searched for food when no one had come (for some reason, people rarely came during the summer time) and found himself wondering close to your village. Sometimes he was sunbathing, sometimes he was there for food, but more and more, he found himself drawing close to the outskirts to your village, but never entering it.

Sometimes he’d see you coming to the well again. Sometimes he sees you talking with another villager as you looked for something they were selling from their farms that day. Sometimes he saw you out in the fields to forage.

He especially loved it was when there were festivities going on in the village, where they would make a big fire and dance around and eat and drink until it was well past their bedtimes, sometimes until the sun would come up again.

During those times, Sans would be able to see you for longer than usual, and when the sun sank under the earth and darkness fell, Sans could slither closer to the village without rousing alertness. He could see you while you were dancing and laughing with the others, and he could watch you for a long time. He liked the way you smiled… It’s always so sweet and genuine when you did.

During the celebration of a couple coming together, seeing the men and women dance together with you in the mix… Sans couldn’t help but let a funny thought enter his skull. Wishing he could be something like that with you, wishing he could be with you, hold you close and laugh with you. Do all those domestic things. He doesn’t even need a celebration like that… He just thought of being with you.  
  
It was just a silly little wish. To have a life with you. And Sans left it at that. Long had he accepted that that wasn’t going to happen. He was bound as a guardian, and not only that… He was a monster, and a monster with a reputation. He had known he would never have a real chance to have a life with you. It was always just a nice thought to have on his mind during his many lonely nights. Just that. A small, silly wish.

… Until now.

Your contemplative face had been so cute as you looked into his cave for the first time, looking at the tree in the distance, obviously tempted to take some leaves, a small test he put on you. He knew, you must’ve thought of just going on ahead to take the leaves without needing to meet him. If you did try, Sans would’ve come down on you from his hiding place. Love or not, he needed to be fair, for that was the task of a guardian, as sad as it can be. Of course, Sans wouldn’t be too happy on the thought of ending you you… Perhaps he’d just give you a chance to turn back.

He was pleased to find you held back on your temptations. You were waiting for him, and though you were waiting for him to get to the tree, the thought of you waiting for _him_ had sent him a good feeling down his spine.

The way you fiddled with your hands while you were talking to him, gulping back your terror, hoping he wouldn’t notice. The somehow _adorable_ way you climbed up the tree to reach the leaves, only plucking off three.

There had been people in the past that had tried to get as many as they could, five, eight, ten. Sans knew that was much more than they needed. Sans knew for your mother, you would’ve needed three leaves, for that is the amount needed to treat all sorts of incurable diseases. But _you_ didn’t know that Sans knew. You could’ve tried to trick him, tried to take more from him and told him that’s how much you needed for your mother. But of course, you didn’t fail to please him- of course you would be true to your word. He shouldn’t have doubted you in the first place, you were a sweet girl, and your village had taught you well on courtesy and civility. Dayne had been one of those lessons.

When he saw you, after sensing something different in the winds today, peering out from his cave to look down the mountain… Seeing you, holding onto your skirt, looking cold, making your way up the mountain.

It was like a dream come true.

There was only one reason anyone would climb this particular mountain. Yes, the mountains divided lands and there had been travelers that came across the mountain, but those who climbed _his_ mountain usually had one thing in mind:

The golden leaved-tree. And to those who wanted a leaf or two meant that they had to bargain with Sans, lest they want their lives to be cut short. For something as precious as the golden leaf, people must give something equally precious to him in exchange. His bargains, as much as they cost, was always a choice they could make. If they wanted the leaves badly enough, they would give him what they ask of them, but if they couldn’t part with what he asked of them, then Sans would give them the chance to turn back. Nothing is free, especially something as precious as the golden leaf.

For anyone that tried to take them by other means anyways… They don’t know they areput into a different bargain with the naga- in exchange of a leaf that can save someone’s life, they must give _their_ life- to feed him. The only humans Sans eats are those that try to do things unfairly, thieves and swindlers.

So when Sans saw you climb up the mountain, knowing that you will have to bargain with him… Sans knew.

Sans knew what he _wanted_ from you before you even had the chance to see him.

And to Sans’ incredible luck… You agreed.

Sans’ smile widened just a bit as the sun dipped lower in the sky, and he returned to his nest, knowing there would be a restful night of sleep ahead of him.

In less than a week, his little wish was going to come true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's only been dreaming... But soon, he won't be dreaming anymore.
> 
> Hope you enjoy the lamia/naga, because I see so very few that includes a reader ;u;
> 
> ... Also does that count as stalking? I don't know if I should add a "stalking" tag or not...
> 
> [Tumblr](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/) :)


	3. Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for you to fulfill your promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, here's the marriage :DD
> 
> (I'm real sleepy right now as I finish, but I hope you'll enjoy this!)

When you got to your village, you made a beeline for the elder’s home, but as you do, someone tells you that the elder’s already waiting for you in your home to check up on your mother.

You make a dash for your house, and when you open the door- with such a force you almost slam it into the wall- there the elderly woman sat, beside the resting form of your mother.

She tells you that she initially came only to check up on your mother, but she tells you that her health had deteriorated rapidly while you were away. You look to your mother and see that it is true:

She was as pale as gardenia, her cheeks sunken in the slightest, and you weren’t even sure if she was still breathing.

“I-is she dead?!” You sound almost hysterical as you lay your hands on the bedside, watching your mum closely, looking for any signs of life.

“Hush now child, she’s alive. You don’t want to scare the life she has left out of her now, do you?” The elder gives you a slightly scolding glare, “Now, since you’ve returned… Have you brought the golden leaves?”

Nervously, you fumble with the pouch you’ve tied to your waist, your hands trembling from how hard your heart was pounding in your chest. When you finally untied it, you hand it over to the elder, who takes it with a vigor you haven’t seen from her before. She turns to your table- her mortar and pestle, bowls strewn about, vials and jars here and there, and a cup of water at the edge of the table.

You asked her for what you could help with as she starts to spill the golden leaves into the mortar, picking up the pestle, but all that she responds with is a short “No.”

“I’m sorry child, but you will only get in my way.”

You are forced to sit in a chair, twiddling with your thumbs as you watch the old lady make her magic; grounding up herbs together with the golden leaves, mixing in liquids you couldn’t even begin to guess as to what it is, seeing her observe the mixture before she adds another ingredient.

Your eyes constantly dart back from the elder’s movement to your still mother, starting to bounce your knee as you wait, your mind racing with incoherent thoughts.

Finally, you snap back into focus when you see the elder pouring the mixture into a bowl, sprinkling on it something powdery.

You couldn’t help but ask.

“I-is it done?”

“Yes, yes it is.” She responds quietly, moving closer to your mother’s bed.

You rise from your chair and approach the bed with her. When you looked into the bowl in her hands, you see the concoction was mostly a sickly old grey, bits of the golden leaves floating inside and shimmering whenever the bowl moved under the light. It smelled… Unappetizing, to say the least. Like mud drying out in the sun, dead grass, and… Tree bark?

Your stomach churned looking at it. There might be golden leaves in there, but just because they looked nice doesn’t mean they’d taste nice.

You help your mother sit up as the elder brings the bowl to her face.

“Drink, my dear.”

You take a calming inhale when you finally see a reaction from your mother after not seeing one from her in days- she smelled the medicine and her nose wrinkles. She groans, trying to turn away from the medicine when the elder pushes it closer to her mouth.

You take the bowl from the elder, and as you place one knee onto the bed, leaning closer to your mum, you can’t help but be reminded of when you were still so young in the same position as your mum right now.

“Mum, please.” You plead, rubbing her back encouragingly. “It’s going to make you better.”

After almost a minute of no response from your mother, she finally parts her lips when you gently nudge her with the bowl, and you gently angled it so she could drink from it.

The drink seems to be as unpleasant as it looks and smells. You watch your mum’s face contort further into disgust as she drinks down the remedy, surprising you when she pushes your hand away after she finishes it (She hadn’t had any strength as of late). She hacks and coughs for a while as if trying to get the taste off of her tongue. The elder takes the untouched cup of water you saw earlier and helps your mother drink it.

Slowly, you help your mother lean back down onto the bed when she’s no longer wheezing and spitting, pulling back when she’s calmed down.

After a moment of holding your breath, you watch in amazement as you see the color coming back to your mother’s skin. You could’ve sworn you saw your mother start to flow with life, _literally_ , when you see the blood rushing back all over her.

You gasp, tears already starting to prick your eyes, covering your mouth even as that glowing-look on your mother disappears. Your breath is still when you watch your mother’s eyes flutter open.

She blinks up at the ceiling a few times as if she’d just woken up. You keep your hands on your mouth as she rises from the bed to sitting position, slowly turning her head your way. She looks as if she’s gained some of her youth back- there are still strands of silver in her hair, but she looks fresher, newer. And most of all, healthier.

Your mouth is agape as she finally looks at you, her kind, tired eyes staring at you with a bit of confusion.

“… My little dandelion,” She asks in a gentle voice. “What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost! Is something wrong?”

Your open mouth slowly turns into a beaming grin, and hurriedly, you wipe the tears that were forming in your eyes.

“I-it’s nothing, mum.” Your mouth wobbles, everything in you felt like it was sparking with joy, like a golden light was glowing inside of you. “Nothing at all.”

You stagger forwards and fall onto the bed, wrapping your mother around in a tight embrace. It felt so good to feel your mum’s beating heart, strong and healthy again.

You invite the elder to eat with you that night, and you cook something tasty for all of you. You couldn’t stop smiling- you kept close to your mum, gleaming with gratitude just to have her by your side. You couldn’t describe the joy you felt when you saw her rising out of bed, walking around the house, eating good food on her own. She tells you of how it felt like she’d just been in a bad dream all this time, a haze covering her mind while she was bound to her bed.

When bedtime came around, you see the elder smiling at you as she leaves the house, and you give your mum another hug and a kiss on the cheek before you went to bed.

You sleep easy, the trade you made with the snake in the mountains forgotten.

… Until the next day came, and you were walking out in the village, ready to do your daily routine; Taking water from the well, running errands, and trading with other villagers when a sweet girl of your acquaintance, Helena, came to ask you the dreaded question.

“(Y/n)… What deal did you make with the snake?”

And you finally remembered.

The bargain.

There hadn’t been a lot of people around in the village square then, but it was as if everyone heard the question. It wasn’t as if they were gawking at you, but you could feel eyes on you, some others trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.

“I…” You swallowed. There was no point in hiding it. “I’m going to be his bride.”

A cacophony of gasps and hushed whispering swept through the square, and it made you want to hide underground. Everyone knows about Sans- he always takes something precious from anyone that wants to bargain with him. But seeing as he isn’t wedded, this is the first time anyone’s heard of it.

Word spread through the village like wildfire, and it reaches your mother.

“Tell me it isn’t true, golden petal!” Your mother cries as she breaks out of your house to meet you later that day. “Tell me you didn’t trade yourself for the leaves…” She almost begs to you as she grabs your arm, her grip close to bruising.

Everyone else in the village had been quiet that day, perhaps the shock had silenced them. After all, not a lot happens in the quaint village you lived in. When something does happen, usually it’s because someone has traveled out, or into the village.

(Not a lot of people venture out from your village.)

But now, with your mother standing in front of you, her eyes pleading to you, silently chanting _it’s not true… it can’t be true!_ You see everyone else; your friends, your neighbors, and even the merchants you usually visited to get food and supplies form. No one wanted you to leave. You’re a good lass, always polite with kindness on hand whenever you went by. And taking out a piece of this tightly-knit community… It was going to be a big change.

“I’m sorry… It’s true, mum.” You say mournfully. “I’ve promised him… _Sans_ , that I’ll marry him, and I have to return to him in a week.”

“N-no, not my little flower.” Your mother stutters, and you frown further when you see her face breaking into sorrow, her grip on your hand hardening. “Y-you can’t just give yourself up like that.”

“I agree with her! (Y/n), you can’t- you shouldn’t leave!” A voice breaks from the thin crowd that had surrounded the front of your house and you turn to look.

Cedric strides forward, your childhood friend who liked to bring you small flowers back when you were still too young to do chores or errands. “You can’t just leave to marry someone- let alone a _monster_ you’ve just met yesterday… You can’t give yourself to him!” There’s a hint of anger in his voice in his face. He looks almost as desperate as your mother to have you stay in the village.

Your heart blooms with gratitude to see how many people want you to stay, how much they don’t want you to leave.

But… You've made a deal with Sans. And bargains with monsters are irrevocable.

“I… I’m sorry, I can’t.” You say sadly, putting your hand over your mother’s and coaxing her to let go of you, gently holding her as her lips wobble. “I love you mum, but I’ve made a deal with him. He gave me the golden leaves, and I have to fulfill my end of the trade.”

Your mother looks like she’s going to say more, but an old man cuts her off.

“She’s right. She needs to go back to that snake and give him what he asked of her. That is how trading goes, monster or not. We do not want to anger them… If she does not go to him, she will most likely die by his hands.” The man turns to your mother, a look of sadness on his face. “You know this.”

Your mother’s face turns into acceptance, and she looks almost as bad as she did when she was sick. She lets go of your hands when the old man approaches, putting a firm hand on your shoulder and looks at you seriously.

“Young lady… You do know about the implications of marrying a monster?”

When you give him a blank stare, his look hardens before he tells you.

“Monster marriages are sacred, mystical… More binding than human marriages.” He begins. “I have heard stories from people from beyond our lands… Monster and human marriages are not unheard of. But usually, it’s the monster that asks for a human to marry them. You see… Once a monster has chosen their mate, it is final. The bonds they tie are binding… You do not separate the monster from their mate. They are fierce in protecting their claim to their mate. Do you understand, young one?

“This is not something you can break easily, and certainly not through any normal means. You will live with that snake for the rest of your life once you’ve married him.”

A pit forms in your stomach as you nod at him, telling him you understand. He gives you his best wishes before returning home, and the others follow.

Already, the thought of marrying a stranger you’ve just met, and a monster at that was such a scary thought to you. But now with this new information… You dread for this week to end.

When you turn to your mother, her brows are knitted, her mouth in a frown. It hurts to see her eyes so filled with sadness when just yesterday they seemed to be so full of life.

“It’s true, I know, you can’t run away with a deal you’ve made, especially with a monster like him.” She smiles ruefully.

“You’re the only one I have left, dandelion. You’ve saved my life, but what would it be like without you…?”

“I’m… I’m so sorry, mum.” You can’t help but say.

“I’m sorry too, dear.” She puts her arm around your shoulders as you both walk into the house. “You did all of this, just for me. I just… Can’t believe it. My sweet flower, giving herself up just to save her mother… I don’t want you to be with someone you don’t love, and he’s a literal _snake!_ ”

You smile at her while you close the door.

“I’ll be fine, mum.” You say, even if you didn’t even believe the words yourself. “And… He’s not all snake. Who knows, maybe he’s not bad…?”

She gives you a look, and you falter under her gaze.

The days passed faster the more you didn’t want it to. Your days went by as usual, apart from the feeling of dread that was constantly at the back of your mind, growing stronger every time you woke up the next morning. You still fetched the water, run around the village, going to farms to get eggs and the like to bring home. The others didn’t speak quietly amongst themselves anymore- they all wanted to spend as much time with you before you had to leave. Helena had come to apologize for asking you about the trade, but honestly you didn’t mind that. You’d get gifts from your neighbors, food, and tools (which you mostly gave to your mother), and sometimes you’d be invited to their houses.

You’ve quickly become the attention of the village, and on the night before you had to return to Sans, they held festivities in your honor.

They didn’t want your last memories of living in the village to be sad, and so a bonfire was lit at sundown. Everyone celebrated like how they would any other marriage in the village, dancing, drinking, eating. There was food laid out on the table brought out to the village square, and everyone had brought their contributions. You wore your mother’s clothes she used when she married your father, and you cheered and sang as you’d always imagined you would when you married someone. It didn’t matter that your groom was a monster… You’ve dreamt of being the main attention of a wedding celebration and you’d always imagine it to be happy- so you did your best to push away your sadness as you spun around the fire.

People gave you orange blossoms, “good luck in marriage”, and while you took turns dancing with everyone, you even got to bound with Cedric. He held your hands for most of the night, smiling and gently swaying around. telling you how he wishes you could stay here with him, with everyone. He looks angry as he speaks about Sans, about what a devil he is for stealing you away from the village.

You can’t help but feel distaste for his comment. You may not know a lot about Sans, but being told your husband-to-be is a devil definitely isn’t going to make you feel better.

Thankfully, he doesn’t speak of it anymore, apologizing to you for souring the mood when he saw the uncomfortable frown on your face. By then however, you were tired and panting, and you go to sit on the pew, nursing a cup of water next to your mum.

“Dear.” She says suddenly, pulling your attention from the crackling orange blaze in front of you to her. “When you’ve married him… Can I visit you sometime?”

“What?”

“Visit you, little flower.” She holds your hand, a serious look on her face. “He may have you as his wife… But that doesn’t mean I can’t visit my daughter from time to time.”

“Mum, no,” You say as gently as you can, looking at her with concern. “You just recovered from that illness, you’re not as young as you used to be. I’ve walked up the mountain, and it’s tiring, mum. You’ve already had such a close brush with death, I don’t want to lose you to the mountains.”

She presses her lips tight before she accepts that she has to let you go, and her eyes are glossy when she looks at you- something you’ve been seeing a lot from her lately.

“… Ok.” She says slowly, “But can you do a favor for me, dear…?”

“Promise me to leave early in the morning, when I am asleep. I don’t want you to see me cry when you go… I don’t want to stop you from leaving.”

Sorrow builds in you, making you feel sore all over that had nothing to do with how much dancing you did earlier. But she’s right. Leaving in the early hours of the morning would be the best for you. You won’t have to meet anyone. You know that if you met just one person, you’d be overcome with the feeling of grief, and you’d have no energy to climb the mountain. You wouldn’t want to leave while the sands of time kept flowing until either you were in the hands of Sans, or you’d just… _Disappear_.

The morning after the wedding festivities (a farewell, really), you’ve woke up early- there was no light outside. There was a feeling of trepidation in you as you fill your big drawstring bag with trinkets and tokens of your memories. Your father’s old dagger, your mother’s scarf, and some blackthorn flowers from your neighbors were among the things you've packed into it. You put some of your clothes in there before you pull the strings to close it and haul it onto your back. There was much more you’d wish you can bring, but you were going to climb a mountain, and you knew you couldn’t carry so much.

You hesitated by your mother’s bed, a part of you wishing she was awake to see you go… But you shake your head and walk out the door.

_Goodbye, mum._

By the time you’ve stepped out of your house, dawn is starting to break. The village almost looks deserted as you walked through it, everyone still asleep- usually, there’d be people who were out to go to their farms, but everyone had been tired out by last night’s festivities.

You’re glad they all seem to be sleeping because again, you wouldn’t have the strength to leave if you’d see them.

But as you reach the outskirts of your village, you swore you could hear something coming closer.

… _Are those footsteps behind you?_

“(Y/n), wait!”

When you turn around, you are met with the face of Cedric, running up to you with one hand fisted.

“Oh, I’m so glad I caught you!”

_“Cedric!”_

At first, your blood starts to boil, a wave of gloom crashing down at you as you look at him. _Anyone_ from your village would be enough to tempt you away from the mountains… But now, seeing your childhood friend panting, you feel like crying.

_Why did you come here?! Don’t you know hard it is for me to leave already?_

But before you get to snap at him, yearning and bitterness clashing in your chest, he gives you a tired smile. “I… Didn’t get to give you my gift.”

You watch as he hesitates for a moment, his fisted hand fidgeting for a moment before he gently takes your hand so that your palm faces the sky. He puts his fist on top of it and releases something hard and slightly warm on top. When his hand draws away, you see what looks like a smooth oval stone that fits perfectly on top of your palm. He watches while you take a closer look, bringing it up to your face. It’s mostly featureless, and it has no sharp edges. When you turn it all around, you see that part of it looks to be chipped off, like some kind of cut on it.

“… What’s this, Cedric?” You make a questioning look at him.

He’s silently twisting his legs as he answers you. “Well… It’s my lucky pebble.” He says nervously, “I keep it with me all the time, good things come with it.”

“I want you to keep it, (Y/n).” He smiles at you. “Maybe it can help keep you away from harm.”

You look at the pebble… It almost looks polished with how smooth it is. Cedric must’ve cherished this thing- farm boy often broke and scratched his possessions. When you look back up at Cedric, your anger’s washed away, and you smile gently at him.

“Thanks Cedric, that’s so sweet of you.”

You close the distance and hug him, almost squeezing him as your wishes to stay in this village build inside of you. You don’t want to let go, but after a few moments, after Cedric hesitantly put his arms around you to hug you back, you pull away from him. His cheeks are dusted a light pink that looks quite adorable in the morning light. It disappears as you pull further from him, but before you could completely separate from him his hands catch yours.

“… Is there really no way to make you stay, (Y/n)?” His eyes are clouded blue, and you could feel the same feeling of not wanting to let go as he gently squeezes your hands.

You let out a tired sigh and shake your head at him. “… We’ve been through this, Cedric. I made a promise, I have to leave now.”

A look of frustration crosses his face at that, but he finally lets go of your hands, having a moment to close his eyes before he looks back at you.

“… Alright.”

“Goodbye, (Y/n). Good luck.” He says with a rueful smile.

You playfully wave to him with the pebble in your hand, turning around to put it in your pocket, staring at the mountain in the distance.

Even though you didn’t want to see anyone today… You’re glad Cedric was there to see you off, still standing there as you get further and further from the village, still waving at you until he disappears behind the foliage you walked through. The reminder of how much he cares about you fuels your journey until you reach the base of the mountain.

As you start to climb it, even with Cedric’s send-off… Your mind drifts back to the village you just left. A dull pain starts thrumming in your chest as you remember all the things you used to do back in the village.

You wouldn’t wake up to your mum’s cooking anymore, eggs sizzling on top of a fire. You wouldn’t go frolicking in the fields with Cedric while he told you stories told by his father, who had a tavern in the village. You wouldn’t get to dance with everyone around the bonfire anymore.

Soon, you’re going to marry Sans. You wonder, how would that be…? He lives in a cave. Does he live like humans? Does he even know how humans live? How were you going to get water? You don’t even know where he’d sleep, or what he ate (that wasn’t human). You’re going to be alone with a naga monster on top of a precarious mountain, away from everyone- everything that was familiar to you.

You sigh softly as you stare at the rocks that shifted under you as you walked, looking up to see where you were going- when you realize you’ve gotten much further up the mountain than you thought. You remember the rock formations beside you when you first climbed the mountain, and the ground had already looked so far away from where you were. You were getting close to Sans’ cave!

_How did I get up here so quickly…?_

Your heart starts to thump louder and louder in your chest as you step closer to the top, you know you’re going to see Sans’ cave soon… The impending marriage with the naga dawning on you. You haven’t thought of it since Helena had asked you about it… You didn't want to think about it. You only wanted to indulge yourself in the joys of living in the village. And now all those buried fears were bubbling to the surface, and you start to tremble as you walk further, even when no winds were sweeping up the mountain.

Your movements freeze when you saw the naga’s cave come into view.

_Just a little bit more, (Y/n)._

You take a deep breath, ignoring the sound of your heart in your ear as you approach. As soon as you reach the mouth of the cave, you could see him- The skeleton naga, his immense length coiled around under his skeleton upper half, his tail winding into slowly into a part of his snake half. His arms are folded under his skull, resting with his sockets close, his grin ever-present on his face.

You contemplate whether to wake him up when you suddenly see a slit of white light peering at you from one of his sockets before it slowly dilates, his expression unchanging.

“(y/n) my dear…” His smile seems to broaden on his face as his second socket opens, eyelights locked to your face. “i’ve been waiting for you.”

He uncoils from himself, his snake body spilling to his sides, reminding you of how big he was. He lifts his skeleton body upright, and even as he lowers his snake part closer to the ground, he still towers over you. He slithers closer to you, and you don’t even realize you’ve taken a step back, your heart racing as your ears are filled with the hiss of his scales.

The words of the elderly man from your village flashes through your mind- of how permanent the bonds made with monsters are.

“H-hello, Sans.” You smile at him clutching onto the strings you had around your shoulder. He gives you a curious look, tilting his skull to the side before he moves again, winding close around you until his snake body overlaps.

“hello, my dear.” He says lovingly(?) as his sockets lid. “i’m so happy you’ve come.”

“O-of course I came.” You stutter, the nervousness that comes before marriage and the fearful thoughts of what will come after mounting inside you, making it hard to hide from him. “We’re going to be married.”

Sans gives you another broad grin, and his eyelights dilate in his sockets.

“yesss… yes we are.” He hisses happily, not able to hold it in, his tongue flicking out while a look of pure joy colors his face. “come now, my love.” He gently pushes you forward with a hand that almost covers both of your shoulder blades, his snake part quickly winding away so that you won’t trip on him.

“… The wedding ceremony?” You ask as he guides you into his cave. As you walk you notice something was covering the ground near the walls of the cave… Small flowers and petals lined up. They were fragrant, and the cave smelled pleasant.

“that’s right.” Sans says easily, slithering slowly beside you.

“… How… How will we marry?” You can’t help but ask. You’re sure there was no one around other than you and Sans. How will you be wedded?

Sans gives a reassuring smile to you, though it felt more threatening than it did soothing (you were reminded of the hidden fangs he has).

“don’t worry my bride. the way we monsters bind to our partners… it’s not as intricate as your human rituals.” He chuckles, a sound that for some reason… Put your heart slightly at ease. “all that you need to do is to vow to me.”

Your eyes widen as you see where Sans is taking you; the golden leaved tree.

_Vows? You completely forgot about vows!_ Even as you reluctantly prepared yourself for marriage back in the village, the thought of preparing vows had completely eluded you. _What should you say? What_ **_do_ ** _you say?_

Sans seems to notice your inner distress, because he gently shakes you, his smile still wide on his face. “no need to worry about it, (y/n). all you have to do is to say what i say.”

You reach the tree of golden leaves, and it seems as if the sky was watching you through the crevices in the cave. The winds were quiet while the sky was mostly clear of clouds. The golden leaves rustled above you, shimmering down the both of you like golden rain. The flowers swayed, the air was fresh.

You wish you were wearing a wedding dress, but as you try to clean yourself up, Sans slowly shakes his head, watching you with endless adoration.

“… you look so beautiful.”

You freeze under his longing gaze. The look in his sockets are nothing short of genuine, and you’re not sure if your heart is racing because of your nervousness… Or something else.

“let’s begin, shall we?”

You slowly place down your bag near the tree as Sans takes position in front of you, his eyelights wide in his sockets.

_“dear, sweet (y/n)…”_ Sans almost sighs, as your hands are almost engulfed by his when he takes them, your heart jumping into your throat. He closes his sockets, his grin lowering in the slightest and he says his vow.

“ _i am yours, and you are mine. our fates are connected, destinies entwined. i will be by your side from now and evermore. i will care for you, i will cherish you, i will do everything i can to bring you joy. i will be with you when HOPE runs low. with this vow, we are one. we shall be together bound by our souls for eternity.”_

_…_ It sounds so… possessive and binding. When Sans finishes, he opens his sockets, his smile returning. He squeezes your hands, telling you it’s your turn.

A lump forms in your throat and your tongue dries up. His voice felt like it was echoing through your mind as he said his vow, and you remember what he says… But it’s exactly those words that tied your tongue in knots.

“I… I am yours,” You start, and you see Sans’ smile softening as you speak, “And you are mine. _Our fates are connected, destinies entwined. I will be by your side from now and evermore. I will care for you, I will cherish you, I will do everything I can to bring you joy. I will be with you when hope runs low. With this vow, we are one. We shall be together bound by our souls for eternity.”_

… You don’t realize you’ve been squeezing Sans’ hands back as you said your vows, or even that your eyes slowly closed as you spoke until you feel his thumbs brushing the back of your hand, and you see what looked like… Golden light shining down on you. It painted the ground with its warm glow, and it definitely didn’t come from the leaves above you. Something deep inside you felt it, like something finally clicking into place. When you turn from Sans to see where it’s coming from, it’s already gone.

“… it is done,” Sans says decidedly.

You whip your head back to face him.

“Th… That’s it?”

Sans only chuckles as he slithers closer to you. “i already told you… monster marriages are simpler.”

You stare at him silently. _So… You’re his wife now._ You almost don’t know what you’re supposed to do now when you remember something you’ve brought with you in your pouch.

“Sans, wait.” You say to him, pulling your hands away from him. His smile falters with confusion and worry as you did, crouching down to open up your bag again. Your brows are furrowed with worry as you try to fish out for the item that you seek, relieved when you find it’s there. You take out a smaller pouch from your drawstring bag and carefully bring it to his attention.

“… I’ve brought something for you.”

You draw a necklace from within the pouch. A metal chain formed its foundation, and hanging from it… A stone pendant. It was colored with paint that you could see through, a deep orange painting most of it, depictions of flowers decorating its front, a daffodil sitting prominently in the center.

“I know you said we’ve already married, but… I have a tradition in my village.”

Brides and husbands trade these necklaces, ones they mostly made themselves. They give each other symbols of themselves, one that their partners would always wear around their necks. It’s like… Giving a piece of yourself to them.

“Even when they seem far from each other, they’d always have their other half with them- never truly separated.” You explain to him, hoping he’d like your wedding token.

Sans is silent for a while and his grin… It’s gone. His face is neutral as he gently takes the necklace out of your hand by its pendant. It was a handful in your hands, and yet in his… It looked almost like a toy.

He studies it for a while, running his thumb over it, looking closer at it… When his eyelights land back on you, you see they were in the shape of hearts, beaming at you.

“oh, (y/n)… i can’t believe you made this for _me_ …” He says, touched, phalanges curling around the stone as if it were a fragile gem.

“… i have one for you too.”

You stare in surprise when Sans brings his other hand up, revealing to you a chain necklace with a stone pendant. This one was painted an array of blue that reminds you of his scales. A skull sat on its center, a green snake winding around it so that its tail points down while its head points to the side above the skull.

“i know a bit of human rituals, beloved.”

Sans has to lean down a bit so you could reach his neck, nervous as you feel his breath brushing your shoulder from close you were to him, latching the necklace into place. When you’re done he puts his necklace on you, and your skin breaks out in goosebumps when you feel his phalanges brushing against your neck, fastening the necklace in place.

You touch the pendant curiously, feeling the grooves and cuts made on its surface… Wondering how Sans could make it up here when even you struggled with the tools you had back in the village. Your attention is brought back to Sans when you feel his hand brush your cheek, cupping your face.

“my sssweeting.” He hisses, a quiet blue glow on his face, “… can i kiss you?”

You blink up at his request, your answer coming out in a tumble.

“Sure, o-of course.”

You could hear more hissing coming from Sans as he holds you by the small of your back, his hand still cupping your face as he leans in and you brace for him…

Only for him to leave a peck on your cheek before he pulls away.

“why don’t i show you around your new home, my joy?”

Your hand moves to your cheek where he kissed you, a warmth blossoming from it. Sans lets go of you, slithering back towards the main cave. You watch as his snake half stays close to you, his tail almost moving to coil around you, but never actually doing it.

He could so easily grab you, wrap you in his coils, trap you and stop you from escaping him… But instead, he doesn’t push or force you anywhere. He waits by the wall of the cave connecting the two caverns. You follow him, looking around the entrance of the cave, wondering how he lives here when Sans calls for your attention.

He’s slithered a bit further from you, and you see an odd rock formation behind him. “where are you going, my heart? follow me, my home is this way.”

When you come closer, you see the rock forms a sort of tunnel-way, enough for you to stand up with a little bit more space above you. There were parts of the ‘wall’ between it and the entrance cave, leaving places where you’d be able to look out of. The ground steadily curves upwards unevenly, following the shape of the cave’s cavity.

Sans takes your hand when your legs wobble on the lumpy ground, patient as you get used to the ‘floor’, slowly ascending.

When you reach the top… It’s like a secret quaint home. The tunnel opens up to a wide area, to the side you could see the cave’s entrance. There was a bed… A sort of nest in a corner of the cave, covered in pelts and hide. On the wall there was a table with some knick-knacks on top of it, and on a different part of the wall, there was… A kitchen?

“surprised?” Sans asks you, chuckling when he sees your surprised expression. “i’m a monster, not an animal.”

“O-oh sorry… I just wasn’t expecting this.” You tell him. It had a clay furnace with the side that just looks like a table for setting cooking tools and even cutlery.

“yes… houses aren’t the only places you can turn into _homes_.” Sans says, pushing you closer to his nest. He picks up a felt blanket and wraps it around you gingerly. “i want it to be comfortable for you, my heart. it makes me happy that you look to like this arrangement. stay here, i’ll make us both something good to eat.”

You couldn’t help but feel how… cozy everything felt as the scent of his cooking filled the air. Was it wrong of you to think he couldn’t cook..? You really weren’t expecting much when you climbed up this mountain… So to see how similar his lifestyle was to yours made you feel much more at ease. You’ve just said your vows earlier, and yet it already felt like you were living in a household with Sans.

He prepares his meals in a wooden bowl, a knife and fork placed by its side when you come to the table with him. When you look inside, they’re mostly vegetables, carrots, and tomatoes… It smelled delicious.

“How… Did you get all of this?” You ask, unable to hide your curiosity.

“how do you think travelers pass these mountains?” Sans gives you a teasing look. “not every trade has to be made with golden leaves… and i have skills that help me out with a lot of things… like that.” He points to the pendant on your chest.

When he sees you looking around for a seat, his long mass wraps around the legs of the table (more than once!), and with his tail, he tips you to sit on him. You could feel the firmness in his amazing tail… You could feel it was strong and muscular just by sitting on it.

Without you even meaning to, you blush at his movements, wondering if he’d really prefer it this way.

He only chuckles, sockets crinkling in the slightest before he picks his food.

When you stare at your own platter, you can’t help the question that comes to mind.

“… I’m sorry for asking, but… Do you need these? I… I always thought that you…”

_“hunt? devour my prey in one swallow?”_ He’s staring at you, his eyelights alternating between sharp to rounded ovals. You stiffen a bit, afraid of offending him, but his eyelights turn round again. “… it’s true, but i only need to eat prey every moon or so, my dear. as you can probably guess, there aren’t that many preys up here, and i don’t always want to leave my abode. i have a small garden i harvest, you see.

“… would you like to see it?”

Your look of surprise slowly turns to joy, and you smile at the naga. “I’d love to, Sans.”

* * *

Once you’ve finished eating, Sans brings you around his home. You put away your belongings near the table while you take a look around. The rock formed in such a way that’d hide you from anyone entering the cave while you still got the fresh air from outside.

He shows you his garden and the source of his water. You went through another tunnel-like formation that winded downwards and away from the tree cavern, and you even had to be carried by Sans by how uneven the ground was.

… _You’ve blushed again._

There’s a small lake above a kind of stone plateau where flowers and Sans’ plants grew. It was a serene spot where the grass was green while the wind gently swept through it. You’d never guess a place like this existed on these rocky mountains if Sans hadn’t shown you.

You end up staying there until sundown… It had a wondrous view of the sunset, the rays of sun painting the lake with oranges and reds. Sans told you you could gather vegetables and water from here. As for the meat…

_“you can leave that to me, my dear.”_

It feels like all that you did on your first day was admire the kind of place Sans calls home. He looks happy while you explore a bit of the cave and watch the sky change colors. When night fell and the wind became chilly, Sans was quick to wrap an arm you. Despite being both a snake and a skeleton, you found yourself warmed by him as he brings you back to his secret pocket of the cave.

Sans tucked you into his nest. It felt… so much better than the rags you used to sleep on back in the village. It was cushioned, and even though it looked lumpy, it’d quickly adjusted to the shape of your body once you laid down on it. It was better than _any_ bed you’ve felt in your village… Like a king or queen’s mattress without all its fancy adornments.

Sans slips into the very same nest soon after, plucking you from the nest like you weighed nothing, positioning himself under you. He places you back on top of his chest, your body heating up from how close you were to him. “sleep well, my love.” He drawls as he yawns, his forked tongue lazily flicking out as his thick tail wraps itself loosely around you. It goes from under him to below you, to the edge of the nest before it loops back over and under your stomach, straying again before returning to your legs, the tip finally coiling around your ankle. But even with his heavy weight and his mass, he’s positioned himself in such a way that didn’t make you uncomfortable… More like a pleasantly weighted blanket.

… This… Was _not_ terrifying.

Even with his snake half covering you, even with those strong arms wrapped around where his snake part did not, it felt… Safe. It felt more like he was holding you protectively rather than an effort to restrain you. Not like the predator’s grip you thought he’d put on you when you first saw him today. He really does feel like a loving husband as he tucks his skull closer to yours, a quiet hissing sigh leaving his nasal cavity.

As your eyelids grow heavier, your leg brushing against the scales of his tail, squeezing in the slightest whenever you moved before relaxing… You’re surprised yourself that you didn’t feel terrified out of your mind, or wishing you could run away as soon as you lived with him.

You start to think… Maybe getting married to a snake isn’t so bad after all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. You're married to a snake now. But he doesn't seem as bad as you thought he'd be...
> 
> We have one very happy skeleton-naga.
> 
> HHHhhhhh I keep getting more ideas as I write this the plot thickens literally as I write it mjklfdkj
> 
> [Tumblr](https://aka-indulgence.tumblr.com/) (I take asks, if you'd like! owo)


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